


Love, In All Its Many Forms

by AsexualArchivist



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Don’t mind me just loving hamid and his relationships with the others!, Gen, Nail Painting, Platonic Relationships, gonna have everyone eventually, they’re friends and they love each other!!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsexualArchivist/pseuds/AsexualArchivist
Summary: Hamid teaches the others about self care the best way he knows how: nail polish!





	Love, In All Its Many Forms

**Author's Note:**

> First rqg fic! I’ve been meaning to write this for awhile but I’ve been in a bit of a funk, but now it’s time baby!!
> 
> First chapter takes place post Prague, at Hamid’s family’s place.
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy :D

“...Sasha?”

Hamid watched from the doorway as she stiffened. He winced; he really hadn’t meant to sneak up on her, but she had been so distant and distracted lately. He cleared his throat.

“Ah- sorry. Are you busy?” Hamid took a tentative step forward; Sasha flinched back, seemingly involuntarily.

“Sorry, Hamid, just-” she sighed. “...What do you want?”

She sounded so tired and defeated, Hamid’s heart ached. Ever since the reality of her condition had really set in, the knowledge that she wasn’t truly alive anymore… it had been hard on her. She looked pale, too, pale as- well, a ghost, though Hamid thought that that metaphor might be a bit tasteless at this stage. 

“Nothing, Sasha, just making sure you’re alright.” Hamid made his way into the room, still walking carefully, as if Sasha would flee if he moved too quickly. “I- I know it’s been hard, lately, but-”

Sasha snorted. “Oh, yeah, it’s been ‘hard.’ Nothing like learning you’re a zombie with an expiration date to foul up your weekend plans. Of course I’m not alright, Hamid.”

Hamid took a deep breath. He knew she didn’t really mean to snap, of course, but still… his heart was aching enough already. “I know,” he said simply, and sat down at the end of the bed.

“Just- I didn’t ask for this.” Sasha slumped down on the bed next to him, not touching, but close enough that Hamid could reach out a hand to put on her shoulder if he wanted to. “I mean, if I really died, that should’ve been it, yeah? I should… you know. Stay that way.”

Hamid’s hand hovered in the air, inches from Sasha’s shoulder, before he put it back down to his side. “Well, we can’t really change the past, can we?” Sasha shrugged. She leaned a little closer towards him, almost bumping their shoulders together, but not quite.

“For what it’s worth,” Hamid continued, looking down at his feet. “I’m glad you’re here, Sasha.”

She shrugged again, and finally let their shoulders touch. Hamid froze, scared any slight movement would scare her off. “Yeah, alright. ‘s just… all wrong.”

Aziza’s face flashed in front of Hamid’s eyes, and he blinked away the sudden tears that were threatening to spill over. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s… been difficult. For- for all of us.”

Hamid started sniffling, and despite his best efforts to keep his emotions in check, a few errant tears slid down his face. He snapped his fingers to prestidigitate them away, hoping Sasha wouldn’t notice. This wasn’t about him, after all.

“Hamid- ah, shit.” Sasha turned to face him, brows furrowed. “I thought it was my turn for a pity party.” She sighed, and scooted closer to Hamid until their legs were touching. Then, she nervously spread her arms, unsure. “I’m not one for hugs, but… maybe just this once? I think… I think I’d like to, right now.”

Hamid sniffed again. “You don’t have to, Sasha, I know you don’t like to be touched-“

“No, I want to try. You’re- you’re my friend, Hamid. I think it could be… good, maybe, to hug a friend. I don’t- ah, whatever.” And she pulled Hamid into a hug, quick but warm and close. She shifted over back to the edge of the bed, no longer touching him, but Hamid was beaming.

“You’re an amazing hugger,” he said, laughing as she made an exaggerated noise of disgust.

“Yeah, don’t get used to it. Not all of us can be as unbearably mushy as you are.”

Hamid giggled. “Thank you!”

“Wasn’t a compliment,” she muttered, but smiled anyway.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, until Hamid spoke up again. “I really did mean it, Sasha. I’m glad you’re… still with us. You know how much we’d miss you, don’t you?”

Sasha shifted, glancing away from him. “Yeah, I know, that’s why you’re trying to fix me. Least you could do, really.”

Hamid laughed, but still looked at her seriously. “We _will_ make you better, without a shadow of a doubt.”

Sasha shrugged. “Not much to be done ‘til tomorrow, though.”

Hamid sighed. “I suppose…” Then he remembered something he’d seen cleaning out his room, and his face brightened. “Oh! I have an idea!”

Sasha looked at him warily. “...what is it?”

He hopped off the bed and scurried to his old room, rummaging around until he remembered where he had put it. He came back into the room triumphantly, holding a tiny glass bottle in his hand. Sasha stared at him.

“Uh, Hamid? Is that some sort of magical ‘bring Sasha back to life’ potion you forgot about until just this second? ‘Cause if so, first off, thanks, lemme have it, and also what the hell-“

“No, its nail polish!” He exclaimed, still beaming. Sasha’s expression didn’t change.

“Right, well, I’m lost,” she said as Hamid sat down cross-legged on the floor. 

“Well, when I was little, I used to get really nervous,” Hamid explained as he uncapped the bottle. He motioned for Sasha to sit on the floor with him, and she obliged silently, holding out her hands for Hamid to take. “I bit my nails a lot, and that stressed me out more, because I liked it when my nails looked nice, but I couldn’t make myself stop. So my- my sisters painted my nails for me. I remember, they sat me down, and told me very seriously that I couldn’t worry about anything while they were painting my nails, and that they would do all the worrying for me until we were done. And they painted them this beautiful shimmery green, my favorite color, and it made me so happy to have something so beautiful be a part of me. They were so pretty, I couldn’t even think about biting my nails anymore. And after that, my sisters and I would always paint each other’s nails when one of us was having a hard time. I’ve missed that a lot, actually, since I went off to school; it’s nice to just let someone else take care of you for a bit.”

Sasha was looking at Hamid as he worked, eyes wide. He had picked out his one bottle of black nail polish, back from his ill-advised all black period in secondary school. He babbled on as he applied a second coat, and then a clear layer on top. Sasha chimed in from time to time, but mostly just watched Hamid work, mesmerized. 

When he was finally finished, he leaned back to admire his work. “All done! What do you think?”

Sasha shifted her hands in the light, smiling at how the polish shone. She smiled. “Eh, that was nice. Looks neater, too. Thanks Hamid. You know, that- weirdly made me feel better. Really.”

Hamid beamed at her. “I’m glad.”

“No, thank you- thank you for caring about me.” Sasha didn’t look at him as she spoke. “No one’s- well, never mind. Thank you.”

Hamid smiled again, sadder this time. “Of course. Hopefully by the time the paint starts to chip, you’ll be yourself again.”

Sasha grinned at him, hopeful for the first time since she had learned about her illness. “Yeah. Yeah, Hamid, I think I just might.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :D


End file.
